Fashionable Christmas Gifts – Scarves
Posted: December 16, 2011 Filed under: accessories, Fashionable Christmas Gifts | Tags: Fabryan, Liberty, Richard Weston, silk scarves, Yaelle 7 Comments »Welcome to the last of my ‘Fashionable Christmas Gifts’ series! These past few months I’ve discovered three very interesting scarf designers that are all well worth having a look at. All of them are British and I’m sure would make mums and girlfriends very happy at Christmas.
WESTON SCARVES
Weston Scarves: Blue Forest Scarf £205, Red Jasper Print Scarf £165, Agate Print Scarf £165 - all at liberty.co.uk
I first discovered Richard Weston’s work on Britain’s Next Big Thing, a BBC2 programme, where he pitched his designs to Liberty’s. I remember being convinced from the start that his will be one of the few products to actually make it into a shop. In fact, I loved Richard’s scarves so much that I got in touch with him and he happily provided me with images and background information (even about a few seriously cool non-fashion projects). Richard, a prize-winning architect and landscape designer, who by the way is LOVELY to chat to, collects minerals and has spent a fortune on them in the past years. One day he tried to scan them and thought the resulting patterns were beautiful enough to print on silk and make into scarves. Needless to say, the team at Liberty wanted his designs in their store. The new preSS12 collection focuses on two themes ‘the familiar images/details from minerals and some pictorial images that use these as ‘digital paint’ with which to render other images of nature – in this case trees,’ says Richard.
Weston Scarves are available at Liberty’s and Net A Porter!
YAELLE
Yaelle: Hamsa Purple, Russian Doll Mix White, Papillon Blue - all £145 at yaelle.co.uk
Yaelle Caplan, on the other hand, found me and I’m very happy she did! Not only do I think her work is fantastic, what stands out to me are the little charms for good luck and prosperity she attaches to her scarves. Her inspiration comes from the glamour of Cannes and Monaco and the rich diversity of Tunisia which makes Yaelle’s work very playful with the most beautiful use of colour. All of her designs are hand-drawn and then digitally printed onto the finest silk. A bespoke service is also available in case you want to give something really personal and unique.
Yaelle’s scarves are available from her new website www.yaelle.co.uk. They come in two sizes: 100x100cm (£145) and 40x160cm (£85). Hurry up and get 20% off your order until next Sunday (18 December 2011)!
FABRYAN
Fabryan: Foxglove £100, Rainbow £100, Paint Splash Orange £80 - all at fabryan.com
Fabryan is the youngest of the three scarf designers featured today. Samantha-Jane started her Kingston up Thames-based label a little over a year ago. The beauty of the Kew Gardens in South-West London inspired her to add an accessories line to her already established womenswear business. Each scarf is handrolled with hemmed edges and is made with 100% organic silk. Fabryan scarves are digitally printed with bold colour splashes and abstract flourishes. They are in fact so colourful, the range was called the Psychedelic Collection.
Scarves from the Psychedelic Collection are available online at www.fabryan.com and prices run between £70 and £100 (90x90cm).
Happy giving!
Fashionable Christmas Gifts – Jewellery by Pyrrha
Posted: December 15, 2011 Filed under: accessories, classics re-imagined, Fashionable Christmas Gifts, jewellery | Tags: Danielle Wilmore, fashion, Pyrrha, reclaimed silver, Vancouver, Wade Papin, wax seal 2 Comments »
Vanity Multi Seal Cuff $1,200 and Fidelity Narrow Wax Seal Cuff $510
I just discovered Pyrrha a few days ago but instantly knew their designs had to go on my Christmas list, both as a wish and a recommendation. Designers Wade Papin and Danielle Wilmore handcraft a unique range of jewellery inspired by antique wax seals in their Vancouver studio. Reclaimed silver, bronze and 14k gold are cast into cuffs, pendants and earrings. Because of the intrinsic symbolism of the original seals, every piece takes on a meaning by itself. The result are pieces of ravishing beauty that mostly lies in the fact that nothing is too perfect. To me they almost feel like you’ve stumbled across an amazing find on a flea market and remind me of an old Roman Agrippa-coin my mum used to wear when I was little. I remember being absolutely mesmerised by it!
Hammered circles with a mini fleur de lis shield
Pyrrha jewellery is a great gift for just about anyone in my book. It can be worn by men and women alike and is always personal through the nature of its symbols alone.
14k Mini Lion Wax Seal Necklace $872
To order any of the pieces above (and many, many more) or to find out more about Wade and Danielle’s work, please go to www.pyrrha.com!
Fashionable Christmas Gifts – Madeleine Thompson Beanies
Posted: November 28, 2011 Filed under: accessories, autumn/winter, Fashionable Christmas Gifts, knitwear | Tags: beanie, cashmere, Christmas gifts, fashion, Madeleine Thompson 1 Comment »
Madeleine Thompson: Disco Beanie (left) and Maddy Beanie (middle & right)
With Thanksgiving behind us here in the US, I’m finally starting to feel a little christmas-y! So I’ve started to look around for fashionable gifts and stocking fillers. First up are Madeleine Thompson’s gorgeous cashmere beanies. The Maddy Beanie is super-soft and cosy and the simpler version of the hat if you will. The Disco Beanie is a little jazzier with its sparkly sequins but equally cute and comfy.
Check Madeleine’s website for stockists and while you’re there, don’t forget to have a look at her pretty knit dresses and cardigans too!
Molami – Music To Your Ears
Posted: November 4, 2011 Filed under: accessories, fashion meets technology | Tags: Bight, Colette, earphones, fashion, headphones, Maria von Euler, Molami, Pleat, Twine 3 Comments »
Molami 'Bight' stingray earphones
Usually everything I go to see on market appointments ends up in stores about 5 months later so I almost forgot that Molami’s new range is actually available now. The Stockholm-based brand’s designer – Maria von Euler – created a range of ear- and headphones that aims to enhance the features of the female face. She uses high-end materials like Napa leather, stingray and 18k gold which give her products a luxurious ‘fashion’ feel – probably a first in this technology-lead industry.
Customers can choose between Bight, an earphone that fits comfortably in your ear, Twine, a silk-satin blend headband with a hidden speaker you can barely see from the outside, and Pleat, a wonderfully light (I tried them on!) headphone.
Check out www.molami.com for further information (and retailers).
Molami is now available at Colette.
Molami 'Twine' headband and 'Pleat' headphones (photos from colette.fr)
Autumn Tights
Posted: October 19, 2011 Filed under: accessories, autumn/winter | Tags: Armery, Charnos, Falke, fashion, hosiery, Mary Portas, Melanie Rickey, Wolford 8 Comments »I like autumn. There, I said it. I like to actually put on clothes and prefer layering up to trying desperately to stay cool in the summer which is impossible in most cases anyway. I also happen to like opaque tights but have been thinking about ways to break out of my one-colour-rut so I went through my pile of autumn lookbooks and spoke to a few PRs to see what’s new this season. I’ve worn all three of the following brands myself, although not always the items I’ve chosen to feature.
FALKE
Falke AW11: Triangle in black/green £22, Block-Optic in iris £22, Glow Overknee in ocean £15 on falke.com
Founded in 1895, Falke is a German brand with a great tradition. At the same time they also deliver innovative designs in modern materials. Towards the end of the summer I started to wear their little ankle socks and at the moment their woollen arm warmers keep me toasty. Both of these items were given to me by Falke’s PR and I love the quality of both products. From their current collection I particularly like the bold, sporty designs above. How brilliant are those overknees? They certainly work in real life but I really want to use them in an editorial as well.
Buy Falke from their website www.falke.com.
WOLFORD
Wolford: Bonny Dots Tights £32, Wilderness Tights £33, Starlette Leggings £58 on wolfordshop.co.uk
As you know by now, I’m always happy to mention great Austrian products on here. I’ve worn Wolford tights ever since I can remember and the slightly higher price is truly justified by the quality the brand delivers. Their merino and cashmere tights are winter staples for many women and I love the fact that their opaque tights cover the leg evenly and you don’t end up with lighter and darker areas.
Their current collection features autumn trends such as polka dots, animal prints and cut-outs.
Buy Wolford from their website www.wolford.com.
CHARNOS
Charnos: Fan Net Hold Up in black, Betty in purple/black £17, Fairisle Cotton Tight in choc on charnoshosiery.co.uk
Over the past few weeks I’ve been waiting for autumn to start so I can finally wear my new Charnos Betty tights (above middle) which are glossy and opaque with a filigree printed lace design. They were sent to me in late August/early September by their PR but the weather was just too nice to wear them back then. Putting them on (finally!) I noticed that they are rather tight around the leg which is great as it helps to give your pins a more toned appearance by holding everything in a tiny bit. Just like Falke and Wolford, Charnos products are of incredible quality and they are still perfect after a couple of wears.
Charnos is a British brand with a long history (they’re celebrating their 75th birthday this year!) which has worked on some very interesting projects in the past. There were collaborations with Ossie Clark and Bruce Oldfield, for example, and right now they are responsible for ‘Mary & Charnos’, Mary Portas’ hosiery collection for her House of Frasier shop. Charnos also collaborated with Portas (and Melanie Rickey) on Armery which I’ve heard is flying off the shelves.
Buy Charnos from their website www.charnoshosiery.co.uk.
Now all I have to figure out is how to get those perfect model legs!
Tom Gunn
Posted: October 13, 2011 Filed under: accessories, designer spotlight, emerging designers, leather goods, shoes, spring/summer | Tags: Capsule, fashion, Gabrielle Thompson, Shannon Gunn, Tom Gunn 1 Comment »I met Tom Gunn designers Gabrielle Thompson and Shannon Gunn (yep, there’s no man named Tom involved) a few weeks ago when I attended Capsule with Sarah from Style on the Couch. I was instantly stopped in my tracks when I spotted their booth and knew I had found something special upon closer inspection. The designers, both Australian, told me that they had met studying shoemaking in Italy. That’s also where they source their leather and exotic skins to make their shoes.
I particularly like how Gabrielle and Shannon combine different textures and always add a little contrast, too. Their shapes are thoroughly modern and I was happy to discover that they also put their spin on both my all-time shoe obsessions – brogues and Oxford boots.
The label is currently only stocked in Australia and New Zealand but is available at www.the-dreamery.com who ship internationally. Judging by the buzz they are currently creating in the industry, I’m sure they’ll be stocked internationally soon though! To find out more about Tom Gunn and to check out their current collection, go to their website www.tomgunn.com.
And here is a sneak peek at my favourites from the Tom Gunn SS12 collection:
Clockwise from top left: 1 'Prince' in black calf & orange nappa, 2 'Nico' in black calf & hunter green snake, 3 'Penn' in black perforated leather, black calf & mint nappa, 4 'Piper' in mustard suede & black calf
'Quill' in biscuit suede & black calf
'Lazarus' in pale gold calf
'Quill' in black calf & white/black karung lizard
'Hardy' in biscuit suede
'Hardy' in fuschia calf
'Hardy' in pale gold calf
Simeon Farrar x Fulton Umbrellas
Posted: September 15, 2011 Filed under: accessories, fashion and art, London Fashion Week | Tags: fashion, Fulton, Fulton umbrellas, LFW, London Fashion Week, Simeon Farrar, umbrella Leave a comment »In my never-ending attempts to surprise you, I decided to write about Fulton Umbrellas two times in a row. Ha! This is just a quick one, though. I was still pondering my umbrella dilemma, when Fulton’s PR made it even harder by throwing this limited edition umbrella designed by Simeon Farrar exclusively for London Fashion Week AW11 into the mix.
Simeon Farrar for Fulton: It's Raining Cats and Dogs
Fulton was obviously discussed at length in my last post but Simeon Farrar, a three times New Gen winner, has also made his debut on theses virtual pages before. I’m undeniable a fan of his prints and love his cats and dogs too. Decisions, decisions… But I have a feeling that I will miss out on that one anyway because I’m not in London right now and it is, as previously mentioned, a limited edition. So I guess they will all be sold by the time I go back to Blighty.
Fulton latest collaboration, along with Farrar’s SS12 collection can be seen at Simeon Farrar’s London Fashion Week Stand 8, located in the Embankment Galleries at Somerset House.
Preparing for Autumn – Fulton Umbrellas
Posted: September 13, 2011 Filed under: accessories, autumn/winter | Tags: Birdcage, Ella Doran, fashion, Fulton, Karl Lagerfeld, Lulu Guinness, The Queen, umbrella 5 Comments »I first heard about Fulton years ago when I pulled for a shoot with the Sunday Times Travel while I was still an assistant. The theme was luxury travel and the umbrellas we had on the shoot were hands-down the most beautiful and interesting ones I had ever seen. I assumed that they must be the most expensive ones as well but didn’t bother to research. Some of the models were from a Lulu Guinness collaboration which did nothing to dispel my assumptions.
Fast forward, a few years and a move to New York later and the following two things happened. First, I went to preview Karl Lagerfeld for Macy’s where MY UMBRELLA WAS STOLEN! I am aware that this is my second post in a row where I use caps – this time to actually shout. I mean if your possessions are not safe at a party for Uncle Karl, then where are they? I’m positive that the Kaiser is with me on that one and when I fantasise about telling him about my ordeal of walking back home in the rain that night, he would call the predator ‘démodé’. Karl fans will know what that means… Or maybe it just accidentally got stuck in Lynn Yaeger’s skirt on her way out. The brolly was quite small and Lynn’s skirt quite the opposite so… The second fateful event was a few days of rain in Manhattan when I mistakenly thought that autumn had started for good and me getting soaked during a weekend in Boston – I really started to miss my umbrella, a thoughtful gift from some random insurance company eons ago.
Having learnt oh so much from my time assisting, I researched my next brolly when I stumbled across Fulton again. And to my surprise their products don’t cost an arm and a leg. In fact, they are in the same region as Boots or Topshop, price-wise, but my confidence in the quality of their products is much higher. What I particularly love (and rarely see elsewhere) are their birdcage umbrellas. These are dome-shaped and allow you to see where you’re going and be sheltered from the rain coming at an angle at the same time. The Queen uses those as well but obviously for a different reason. She’s all about seeing and being seen, that one. Speaking of the Queen, Fulton are a Royal Warrant Holder. If it’s good enough for her, it’s definitely good enough for the rest of us. (I am quite proud. A blog post about rain, essentially, and I managed to mention the Queen *and* the Kaiser!)
I am contemplating buying two: a birdcage for practicality and another one for the fashion aspect. Here are my favourites – what do you think?
Birdcage option #1: Ella Doran 'Aqua' £23 at fultonumbrellas.com
Birdcage option #2: Lulu Guinness 'Birdcage' £32 at fultonumbrellas.com
Fashion choice #1: Ella Doran Kensington 'Sunlight Thru Leaves' £26 at fultonumbrellas.com
Fashion choice #2: Lulu Guinness Eliza 'Every Cloud' £35 at fultonumbrellas.com
Fashion choice #3: Kensington 'London Scene' £20 at fultonumbrellas.com
Fashion choice #4: Tiny 'Union Garden Rose Pink' £18 at fultonumbrellas.com
There are many, many more on Fulton’s website (their own designs and quite a few very successful designer collaborations) but I forgot to ask their PR for more pictures. Wolly. Go check them out yourself: www.fultonumbrellas.com. Unfortunately, they only ship within the UK at the moment so I will have to wait to get mine. Don’t forget to have a look at their rainwear, including wellies, too. They launched the range only earlier this summer and it’s very, very cute.
Putting that spring back in your step – Cocorose London
Posted: August 3, 2011 Filed under: accessories, easy style, shoes | Tags: Bafta, ballet flats, Cocorose London, fashion, Janan Leo, shoes 3 Comments »High heels are amazing. I don’t wear them nearly as often as I would like too. I find them especially tricky when I go out at night. The thing is you never know what will happen and how far you’ll end up walking. So when in doubt, I’ll wear flats.
‘Well, pack a pair of flats to change into then!’ I hear you said. That is a really good idea except for the fact that my handbag is never big enough to hold them. Not that I run around town with a clutch like I’m from Essex or New Jersey (just kidding!) but I tend not to take a shopper along. For obvious reasons.
From the Cocorose London AW11 collection: 'Glamour-Glitz' Black Rose with Diamante
That must have been exactly the problem that Janan Leo wanted to solve when she founded Cocorose London only four years ago. She doesn’t simply design ballet flats but foldable ballet flats. There are a bunch of flimsy ones out there but let me assure you that these are different: Cocorose London flats feature a thicker, sturdier sole that is simply split in two which makes it easy to fold them in half, pop them into the little purse they come in and store them away in your handbag. That usually should be enough to carry an emergency pair at all times but Cocorose London goes one step further and makes them pretty enough so you can – and want to – wear them every day.
From the Cocorose London AW11 collection: 'Classic Elegance' Lifestyle in Black
Cocorose have also been invited to design a special shoe for the BAFTA to go into the giftbags presenters and nominees got to take home at the 2011 awards earlier this year. Any pair of shoes usually retails for £45 and the brand is stocked at Fortnum & Mason, among others. For a full list check Cocorose London’s website.
The label also maintains a very cute blog that shows Janan ‘Cocorosing It’ in Manhattan, Cannes or Melbourne – all styles from the current collection.
When will you start Cocorosing It?
Trends On Friday: She’s a Lady
Posted: July 29, 2011 Filed under: accessories, bags, classics re-imagined, shoes, shopping the highstreet, trends | Tags: Asos, Balmain, Cacharel, fashion, French Sole, Joan Holloway, L'Wren Scott, LK Bennett, Mad Men, Miu Miu, Repetto, Roland Mouret, Stella McCartney, Topshop, Valentino, Zara 2 Comments »
The inspiration: Joan Holloway/Mad Men
Mad Men has finally caught up with us. There has been talk about the show’s influence on fashion ever since it became popular but it wasn’t until this season that the effects were felt on the runway as well. In a way Joan & Co have only been the catalysts. For Henry Holland or Jeremy Scott, there has been a Christopher Kane or Phoebe Philo. Judging from what I’ve seen when I previewed the fall collections and from what starts being delivered to the shops, there is no denying that lady-like dressing is back.
Lady-like. That’s an awful term. But I cannot for the life of me come up with a better description. To me ‘lady-like’ sounds boring and conservative. But believe me when I say that this is in no way true for what’s to come in the autumn. It is, in fact, quite the opposite of the dreaded work section at Warehouse (Sorry, Warehouse! I love you but not that bit.). Or don’t believe me and go see for yourself:
The designer version: Repetto flat €190 at repetto.fr, Cacharel top $295 at lagarconne.com, Balmain belt £499.47 at luisaviaroma.com, Valentino glove $395 at net-a-porter.com, L'Wren Scott bag $5,500 at barneys.com, Miu Miu pump £345 at net-a-porter.com, Stella McCartney coat £1,435 at matchesfashion.com, Roland Mouret dress £1,230 at www.brownsfashion.com
Links for the designer version:
The highstreet version: French Sole flat £90 at asos.com, chain belt £17.99 at zara.com, pussybow blouse £30 at asos.com, glove £20 at topshop.com, city bag £39.99 at zara.com, pump £195 at lkbennett.com, coat £119 at zara.com, dress £46 at topshop.com
Links for the highstreet version:
